1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method for sterilising cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipacks in an autoclave, wherein the packs consisting of product and packing are subjected to heat treatment at a certain temperature over a certain period of time, wherein the product consists of a liquid and chunky portions, and wherein mechanisms are provided inside the autoclave to drive the packs rotationally about a rotational spindle, and relates to a cuboid-shaped cardboard/plastic combipack for use in such a device.
2. Description of Related Art
Subjecting products packed in portions to a so-called autoclave process, such as for example foodstuffs for the purpose of preserving them, has been known for a long time. In this connection, tins for example, into which foodstuffs have been previously packed, are exposed to a particular temperature for a specific period of time in an autoclave in order to reliably kill the germs existing in the product and/or the tin. Tins have therefore proved a success for the purpose mentioned particularly because they are not sensitive to the conditions prevailing in an autoclave (high temperature, high humidity, high pressure).
However, if foodstuffs or other products to be sterilised are launched on the market, which are not in tins but are in other forms of packing, the packing—with a relatively high amount of effort and expense—initially has to be sterilised, then the packing has to be filled with the product under sterile conditions and finally the packing has to be aseptically closed. In this way, manufactured cardboard/plastic combipacks are able to store products like, for example, milk or pureed vegetables over a relatively long period of time.
A generic device is known from DE 102 33 095 A1. By means of a rotating autoclave process for sterilising foodstuffs, cardboard/plastic combipacks are moved during treatment in such a way that the pack contents are constantly mixed thoroughly during the autoclave process. The means used for this purpose are, however, extremely laborious, so that this process cannot be carried out in a commercially acceptable way.